WHEN  MOTHE! 


LETS  US  CUT  PICTURE 


MD 


IDA    E.  BOYD 


1 


WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US 
CUT  OUT  PICTURES 


WHEN    MOTHER    LETS 
US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES 


By  IDA  E.  BOYD 

Teacher  oj  Art,  Brooklyn  Training  School 
for  Teachers 


ILLUSTRATED  BY  THE  AUTHOR 


NEW  YORK 

MOFFAT,  YARD  AND  COMPANY 
1918 


r  N  '       <\ 
• 


Copyright,  1912,  by 
MOFFAT.  YARD  AND  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK 

/*//  rr^ A//  reserved 


Piwt  Printing  April,  1912 
Second  Printing  May,  1913 
Third  Printing  September,  1915 


AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED 

TO 
NAOMI  NORSWORTHY,  PH.D., 

A 
GREAT  INSPIREB  OF  TEACHERS 


£37843 


CONTENTS 

PAOK 

INTRODUCTION 1 

How  TO  CUT  Our  PICTURES 4 

CHAIRS 7 

THE  TABLE  OF  THE  THREE  !BEARS 11 

THE  HOUSE  OP  THE  THREE  BEARS 14 

STREETS 18 

OUR  VILLAGE 24 

A  PAPER  BABY 34 

A  DEPARTMENT  STORE 41 

BOYS  AND  GIRLS 46 

ANIMAL  ARTISTS 66 

MOVING  PICTURE  SHOWS 77 

CHILDREN'S  HAPPY  DAYS 83 

CHRISTMAS  DECORATION 89 

CHRISTMAS  SECRETS      ....  91 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

SEA-SAW Frontispiece 

DISHES 

SNIP 2 

LITTLE  SASH 3 

A  COLLAR  AND  SOME  CHAIRS 6 

MOTHER  ROCKS  THE  BABY 8 

THE  TABLE  OP  THE  THREE  BEARS 10 

THE  PARTY 13 

HOME  OF  THREE  BEARS 15 

A  WALK  IN  THE  WOODS 16 

A  BIRD  HOUSE 17 

WHIRLS .     .  19 

TREES 22 

TREES 23 

FENCES 25 

SWING  ON  THE  GATE 27 

LAMPS 28 

A  STREET  CAR 29 

A  COZY  SPOT 30 

THE  FAMILY  AUTO 31 

WATCHING  FOR  MOTHER 32 

THERE  WAS  A  LITTLE  GIRL 33 

BABY  GROWS 36 

MILLET  's  FIRST  STEP 38 

I  'VE  ADOPTED  LITTLE  TEDDY    ........  37 

SHOES  40 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

THE  CHILDREN  WHO  LIVED  IN  THE  SHOE 
BEADY  TO  WEAR  ...... 

THE  CHUMS  ...... 

A  LITTLE  TENNIS  PLAYER  . 

THE  GAME    ......  *** 

MY  FRIEND    ...... 

HIGH  IN  THE  AIR    .... 

UP  IN  THE  WORLD    .... 

OUR  INDIAN  COUSIN 


HAPPY  WALKING  CHILDREN 
MY  SHOVEL  AND  PAIL  AND  I 
AN  AIDE-DE-CAMP 


.. 

THE  GENTLE  HORSIE    . 

A  WILLING  MESSENGER      ....  go 

IN  THE  PLAY  HOUSE      .... 

FLOWER  LOVERS  .....     "  65 

THE  FRIENDS      .     .     .     .     . 

MY  CHUM  AND  I     .     .     .     "     .'     '     [  6? 

BEAR  LITTLE  PUSSY      .....  69 

HIDE  AND  SEEK  .....  70 

AFTER  THE  BALL 


THE  BIRD'S  Music  LESSON  .....  75 

MOVING  PICTURES     .....  76 

FIE,  LITTLE  CHICKS  ......  78 

BEST  OF  FRIENDS     ......  79 

CONTENTMENT     ......  OQ 

BIRTHDAY  WISHES   ....     v  o-j 

A  PROUD  MESSENGER     .....  go 

CUPID  IN  GLEE  ...... 

YOUR  VALENTINE     .... 

HALLOWE'EN  INVITATIONS  ..... 

HAS  SANTA  CLAUS  FORGOTTEN 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

PRECIOUS  GIFTS 90 

BOATS f 

BASTEE  FLOWERS 9m 


Dishes. 


INTRODUCTION 

Do  my  little  friends  like  to  cut  out  paper  dolls, 
soldiers,  tents  and  such  things?  If  they  do,  I 
am  sure  we  shall  have  a  happy  time  cutting  many 
kinds  of  things  out  of  paper. 

First  of  all,  in  the  right  hand  take  a  pair  of 
scissors,  pointed  scissors  will  be  best.  We  must 
slip  our  thumb  and  second  finger  into  the  holes 
in  the  handle.  The  first  finger  helps  to  steady 
the  scissors  and  will  take  care  of  itself.  Open 
the  scissors  wide,  then  close  them  to  the  point. 
Try  this  several  times,  listening  for  the  sound 
of  the  points  as  they  come  together.  We  shall 
never  be  able  to  do  well  unless  our  cuts  are  long 
and  clean. 

We  can  use  any  kind  of  paper  that  we  choose. 
I  am  sure  mother  will  let  us  have  the  clean 
wrapping  paper  that  comes  around  our  bundles. 
Take  the  part  of  the  paper  that  is  not  wrinkled 
much.  By  and  by  when  we  have  learned  to  cut 
well  we  shall  choose  fresh  paper  that  has  never 
been  used.  While  we  are  learning,  wrapping 
paper  and,  perhaps,  newspaper  will  do  very 
well. 


2  "WHEN 'MOTHER  LETS  rrs  OUT  OUT  PICTURES 

Let  me  whisper  something  to  you.  When  we 
are  having  a  happy  time  ourselves,  let  us  remem- 
ber not  to  make  any  work  for  any  one  else.  Let 
us  make  mother  glad  because  we  never  leave  a 
scrap  of  paper  on  the  floor.  Little  fingers, 
bright  eyes  and  loving  children  will  be  quick  to 
help  everybody,  every  time  and  everywhere. 

Shall  we  have  that  for  our  secret  ? 


Snip,  snip,  snip! 

How  my  nice  sharp  scissors  do  fly! 

Work,  work,  work! 

An  artist  I  '11  be  by  and  by. 


WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES     3 


Here's  a  little  sash — 
Only  a  little  sash. 

Yes,  it  is  white 

But  it's  cut  quite  right, 
Quite  right! 


4     .WHEN"  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES 


HOW  TO  CTTT  OUT  PICTURES. 

r 

Take  a  piece  of  paper  (not  too  large  a  piece) 
and  hold  it  in  your  left  hand  with  the  scissors  in 
the  right.  With  long  clean  cuts  make  a  dolly's 
sash.  Be  careful  to  cut  it  straight. 

Cut  another  strip  of  paper  like  the  sash.  Do 
you  know  how  some  of  father's  stand-up  collars 
look?  Sometimes  they  look  as  if  they  were  cut 
out  of  a  straight  piece  of  cloth,  then  sewed  to 
a  little  band  which  is  longer  than  the  collar. 
Cut  one  where  the  band  and  collar  are  in  one 
piece.  To  do  this  we  must  cut  out  little  bits  at 
the  ends,  thus  making  the  band  longer  than  the 
collar.  The  corners  may  be  bent  back  or  we  may 
round  them  off  with  the  scissors.  With  a  wider 
piece  of  paper  try  some  cuffs  in  the  same  way. 

Father  often  wears  other  kinds  of  collars.  Do 
you  think  that  you  can  cut  out  another  kind? 
Choose  white  paper  if  you  have  some  and  try  it. 
•Make  it  large  enough  to  be  a  real  collar  and  cut  a 
little  hole  at  each  end  of  the  band  for  the  collar 
button.  When  you  do  this,  be  careful  to  hold 
a  finger  under  the  paper  on  the  other  side  as  you 
press  the  scissors  through.  As  soon  as  you  feel 
a  little  prick  from  the  scissors,  take  your  finger 
away  and  gently  press  the  scissors  more  until 
the  buttonhole  is  large  enough.  Cut  a  button 


WHEN   MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES     5 

hole  in  the  middle  of  the  collar,  too.  Put  a  collar 
button  in  it,  leave  it  on  father's  dresser  and  see 
what  he  will  say. 

Cut  out  an  oblong  piece  of  paper.  Cut  a  flag 
with  a  nice  long  stick.  Begin  at  the  bottom 
of  the  flag  stick  and  cut  up  the  paper  until 
the  stick  is  as  long  as  you  wish  it  to  be.  Now, 
turn  the  paper  around  with  the  flag  stick  toward 
you  and  with  a  straight  cut,  cut  to  the  end  of  the 
paper.  If  you  have  some  colored  crayons,  you 
will  have  a  happy  time  putting  in  our  stripes  and 
making  a  blue  garden  for  our  stars. 

Cut  another  flag.  Turn  it  upside  down,  with 
the  stick  going  up.  What  have  you?  A  chair 
with  a  very  tall  back.  Do  you  wish  to  cut  off  a 
piece  of  the  back?  A  chair  with  a  back  as  tall 
as  this  wouldn't  look  well,  would  it? 


WHEN   MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES 


A  Collar  and  Some  Chairs. 


WHEN   MOTHEK  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES      7 

CHAIRS. 

We  have  some  chairs  that  look  as  solid  as 
this.  If  you  do  not  wish  all  the  chairs  to  be  like 
parlor  chairs  you  can  cut  out  the  underneath 
part  to  let  the  legs  show.  If  you  wish  to  have 
a  little  rod  join  the  legs,  cut  a  piece  out  under 
where  the  rod  will  be.  Then  cut  through  one  end 
of  the  rod  up  to  the  seat,  across  under  the  seat, 
down  to  the  top  of  the  part  for  the  rod  (be  care- 
ful not  to  go  through  it),  across  the  top  of  it  and 
a  piece  of  paper  will  fall  out  but  the  rod  will  stay. 

I  am  sure  that  now  you  will  be  able  to  cut  the 
three  chairs  for  the  Three  Bears.  Try  them  and 
be  careful  to  cut  them  so  that  each  bear  will  know 
his  own  chair.  Chairs  stand  on  the  floor  and  I 
believe  that  you  will  enjoy  doing  this  although 
it  is  harder.  Think; — a  little  strip  of  paper, 
then  the  baby's  chair;  more  strip  of  paper,  then 
the  mother's  chair ;  more  strip  of  paper,  then  the 
father's  chair.  We  shall  always  play  that  the 
strip  of  paper  that  holds  all  together  at  the  bot- 
tom is  either  the  floor  or  the  ground.  If  you 
wish  to  show  the  legs  and  rounds  of  the  chairs, 
cut  as  you  did  before  but  be  careful  to  plan  so 
that  one  leg  of  each  chair  is  not  cut  away  from 
the  floor. 

Find  the  little  chair  that  you  like  the  very  best. 
See  if  you  can  cut  one  that  will  look  like  it. 


Mother  rocks  the  baby 
And  sometimes  she  rocks  me! 
Now  she's  tired,  maybe — 
So  here's  a  chair  she'll  see. 


WHEN"  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES     9 

The  first  time  you  try  it,  do  not  cut  it  on  the  floor, 
do  that  the  second  time.  If  you  cut  the  floor 
strip  quite  wide,  you  will  be  able  to  double  that. 
The  part  that  is  turned  under  can  be  flat  and 
your  chair  will  truly  stand.  In  this  way  you 
will  be  able  to  cut  out  all  the  chairs  you  want  for 
your  playhouse. 

Which  is  jnother's  favorite  chair?  Cut  it  out 
just  as  carefully  as  you  can.  Put  the  cutting  be- 
side her  plate  on  the  table  to  see  how  surprised 
she'll  be. 


The  Table  of  the  Three  Bears. 


WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES      11 

THE  TABLE  OF  THE  THREE  BEARS. 

Shall  we  cut  out  the  table  that  Goldilocks 
found  in  the  house  of  the  Three  Bears  ?  I  am 
sure  you  have  found  by  this  time  that  it  is  easier 
to  cut  away  from  you  and  that  you  must  turn 
your  paper  every  time  you  cut.  Show  the  table 
on  a  floor  line,  cut  up  the  leg  until  you  get  to  the 
top  which  you  will  notice  goes  out  a  little  more 
than  the  table  legs  do.  Be  careful  about  this, 
because  without  it  your  cutting  will  not  look  like 
a  table.  Cut  across  the  top  and  down  the  other 
side.  Be  careful  to  make  the  second  side  just 
like  the  first.  What  a  strange  table  it  would  be 
if  all  the  legs  were  not  of  the  same  length! 

The  table  must  stand  well  and  be  strong.  For 
that  reason  it  will  be  better  not  to  cut  under  the 
bottom  of  the  table  legs.  Decide  how  wide  you 
want  the  leg  to  be  and  at  the  bottom  very  gently 
press  the  point  of  the  scissors  -through  the  paper 
as  you  did  for  your  buttonhole.  Carefully  cut 
up  the  table  leg  to  the  thickness  at  the  top,  under 
the  top,  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  other  leg  and 
across  the  floor  strip  to  the  place  where  you 
started.  A  piece  of  paper  will  fall  out.  If  you 
wish  a  shelf  to  go  across  between  the  legs,  as  I 
have  done,  you  will  have  to  cut  out  two  pieces  in- 
stead of  one. 

I  have  cut  the  table  of  the  Three  Bears  show- 


12      WHEN  MOTHEK  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES 

ing  the  three  bowls.  I  am  sure  that  you  will  en- 
joy doing  the  same  thing. 

Won't  it  be  fun  to  make  another  cutting  of 
this  kind  with  a  chair  at  each  end  of  the  table ! 
I  believe  you  can  do  that  by  yourselves.  Be- 
fore you  begin,  think  how  high  the  seat  of  your 
chair  will  be  and  also  how  tall  you  will  want  its 
back.  Tour  little  bear  won't  be  happy  unless 
the  chair  is  just  right  so  he  can  sit  at  the  table 
where  he  can  easily  reach  his  bowl  and  spoon. 

The  table  will  often  need  other  dishes  besides 
bowls  and  spoons.  Try  to  cut  out  all  kinds  of 
dishes.  Platters  and  saucers  must  not  be  high, 
but  very  low.  Although  cups  have  different 
shapes,  they  almost  always  have  a  handle.  Look 
at  the  pitcher.  See  the  difference  in  the  spout 
on  the  pitcher  and  that  on  the  teapot.  Have 
you  some  dolls'  dishes?  Try  to  cut  their  pic- 
tures. Be  careful  to  cut  so  that  the  opposite 
sides  will  be  alike. 


Will  you  come  to  my  party 
To  drink  some  real  tea  with  me  ? 
We'll  use  my  cut  out  china 
And  very  polite  we'll  be. 


14      WHE^  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES 

THE  HOUSE  OF  THE  THREE  BEARS. 

iWe  can  now  cut  tables,  chairs  and  dishes  for 
the  Three  Bears.  So  far  we  have  tried  no 
house  for  them.  Let  us  cut  a  simple  one  first, 


WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES      15 

one  that  is  not  fastened  to  the  ground.  Let  the 
bottom  of  the  house  be  square,  the  roof  pointed, 
and  the  eaves  wide  to  let  the  rain  run  down  to 
the  ground.  Cut  a  door  and  a  window  in  the 
house  and  have  a  chimney  at  one  side.  In  cut- 
ting the  door,  cut  across  one  short  side  and  one 
long  side,  the  other  side  being  folded  so  that  it 
will  act  like  a  hinge  and  will  open  and  shut. 
When  your  door  is  open,  put  your  house  on  a 
table  or  a  window  seat,  and  it  will  stand. 

I  have  cut  the  house  of  the  Three  Bears. 
Goldilocks  was  here  in  the  Little  Bear's  bed 
when  the  Big  Bear's  growl  wakened  her  and 
she  ran  home  dreadfully  frightened.  This  kind 
of  cutting  may  be  too  hard  for  you  to  do  yet,  but 
some  of  you  may  enjoy  trying  to  do  it. 


16      WHEN  MOTHEK  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTUKES 

Suppose  you  try  to  cut  the  house  that  you 
would  like  to  have  the  Three  Bears  live  in.  Cut 
it  on  a  ground  piece.  If  you  make  this  piece 
wide  enough  to  bend  forward,  the  house  will 
stand  and  will  have  a  real  sidewalk  in  front  of  it. 


A  Walk  in  the  "Woods. 


A  Bird  House. 


18      WHEN  MOTHEK  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES 

STREETS. 

What  kind  of  house  do  you  live  in?  Can  you 
cut  a  picture  of  it?  If  you  didn't  live  where 
you  do  now,  what  kind  of  house  would  you  like 
to  live  in?  Look  through  your  picture  books 
and  through  mother's  magazines  to  find  a  pic- 
ture of  the  house  you  like  best.  Make  a  cutting 
of  it.  It  will  be  fun  to  cut  many  houses  of  many 
kinds.  Plan  for  a  sidewalk  in  front  of  each 
house,  and  have  a  little  village.  Arrange  your 
houses  in  order  so  you  will  have  a  street.  Will 
you  build  the  houses  close  together  or  will  you 
plan  to  have  a  yard  for  each  one?  Of  course 
you  will  want  a  schoolhouse,  some  churches, 
some  stores,  and  bird  houses,  too. 

When  you  make  the  streets,  will  they  be  nice 
and  straight  so  that  the  people  who  walk  through 
them  will  be  able  to  find  their  way  easily  ?  Will 
you  have  cross-walks  connecting  the  streets? 
One  day  I  heard  a  little  boy  whisper  "May  we 
cut  a  street  car  for  this  little  town?"  That  was 
such  a  nice  idea.  Shall  we  cut  an  automobile, 
too  ?  But  wheels  to  such  things  are  round  and 
before  we  can  do  this  we  must  learn  to  cut  round 
things. 

One  day  when  I  was  walking  in  the  woods,  I 
saw  a  tall  stem  that  had  wound  itself  up  into  a 
little  ball  at  the  end.  As  the  sun  and  the  air 


Whirls. 


20      WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES 

and  the  water  played  with,  it,  it  gradually  spread 
out  and  became  a  beautiful  fern  leaf.  Another 
day  I  saw  the  house  of  the  snail.  Suppose  we 
think  of  this  kind  of  curve  as  we  use  our  scissors 
to-day. 

Cut  a  square,  size  about  three  inches.  Take 
the  square  firmly  in  your  left  hand.  In  your 
cutting  begin  near  the  top  and  as  you  cut  around 
the  corner,  firmly  but  gently  turn  your  paper. 
Turn  it  all  the  time  you  are  cutting.  Keep  on 
turning  and  cutting  until  you  get  to  the  middle 
of  your  square. 

Find  the  picture  of  this  on  the  opposite  page. 
Try  this  several  times  until  your  cuts  are  round 
and  even. 

Take  a  large  piece  of  paper.  Have  it  square 
in  shape.  Try  cutting  a  large,  round  mat  by 
cutting  the  corners  off  as  you  come  to  them. 
The  only  way  that  you  can  do  this  well,  is  by  re- 
membering to  turn  the  paper  all  the  time.  When 
you  succeed  in  cutting  this  nice  round  mat,  think 
of  a  way  of  cutting  some  fringe  on  it.  You  may 
like  to  color  it  with  your  crayons  and  use  it  in 
your  playhouse. 

Suppose  we  play  that  we  are  going  to  the  store. 
"We  have  a  nice  round  penny  in  our  hands.  Let 
us  see  if  we  can  cut  a  play  penny  that  is  as 
round  as  our  real  penny.  In  the  store  we  shall 
see  some  round  pink  candies  that  we  are  going 


WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES      21 

to  buy.  Can  you  cut  some  of  these,  too  ?  Per- 
haps you  will  like  to  color  them.  Sometimes 
they  are  brown,  sometimes  pink,  sometimes 
green,  and  sometimes  white. 

These  candies  are  on  a  pretty  plate.  It  has 
two  little  green  bands  on  it  with  a  row  of  chil- 
dren between  the  bands.  The  candies  on  this 
plate  are  green,  too.  Let  us  cut  a  picture  of  the 
plate  and  be  careful  to  have  it  nice  and  round 
and  even.  If  we  remember  to  turn  our  paper 
when  we  are  cutting,  I  think  it  will  have  no 
nicks  and  no  bumps,  but  will  be  round  and 
smooth.  Won't  it  be  fun  to  make  a  lot  of  plates  ? 
Perhaps  mother  will  give  you  a  round  cookie  to 
put  on  your  plate,  and  you  will  have  a  real 
party. 


Trees. 


Trees, 


24      WHEN   MOTHEK  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES 

OTJB  VILLAGE. 

What  has  become  of  our  village?  We  must 
surely  plant  trees  there  and  now  that  we  have 
learned  to  turn  our  paper,  I  think  we  shall  be 
able  to  cut  trees.  What  kinds  of  trees  do  you 
like  best?  Think  how  some  trees  look.  Do  you 
know  what  an  apple  tree  looks  like  ?  I  am  sure 
you  do  if  you  have  ever  been  in  the  country. 
The  trunk  is  strong  and  sturdy  and  the  branches 
grow  low.  An  elm  tree  is  tall  and  slender  and 
spreads  out  its  branches  like  an  umbrella.  Like 
all  other  trees,  it  does  catch  the  rain  and  keeps 
some  of  it  from  soaking  the  little  birdies  who  are 
patiently  waiting  for  mother  bird  and  father 
bird  to  bring  them  a  worm. 

The  poplar  tree  goes  straight  up  like  a  soldier 
pointing  his  gun  upward.  The  great  strong  oak 
tree  and  the  maple  grow  to  be  very  large  and  are 
often  rather  round.  But  the  tree  that  the  chil- 
dren love  best  of  all  is  the  Christmas  tree  with  its 
branches  growing  out  straight.  It  almost  seems 
that  it  is  holding  out  its  arms  to  take  the  pre- 
cious things  that  it  so  carefully  guards. 

Each  tree  that  is  cut  must  have  its  own  shape 
thought  out.  See  if  you  can  tell  which  trees  I 
have  cut  for  you.  Try  cutting  them.  Hunt  up 
pictures  that  you  think  are  well  drawn  and  cut 
their  pictures.  Go  out  of  doors,  find  the  tree 


WHEN  MOTHEK  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES      25 

that  you  like  best,  and  cut  a  picture  of  that,  too. 
Cut  your  trees  with  ground  to  grow  from,  and 
plant  them  near  the  house  where  you  wish  them 
to  be. 


Fences. 


26      WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES 

Houses  that  have  yards  around  them  have 
fences,  too,  sometimes.  There  are  many  kinds  of 
fences.  I  think  I  shall  try  to  cut  a  picket  fence. 
The  easiest  way  to  cut  this  seems  to  be,  first, 
to  cut  an  oblong  as  high  and  as  long  as  the  fence 
is  to  be  on  one  side  of  the  gate ;  second,  to  plan 
and  to  cut  for  the  height  of  the  gatepost  and 
the  width  of  the  gate ;  third,  to  cut  a  strip  for  the 
fence  on  the  other  side  of  the  gate. 

If  you  cut  this  fence,  take  a  large  piece  of 
paper  and  let  the  first  cutting  be  a  big  one.  I 
must  make  small  cuttings  to  go  in  a  small  book, 
but  your  cuttings  should  all  be  large  if  you  wish 
to  get  all  the  fun  that  you  can  out  of  doing  it. 

If  you  make  a  picket  fence,  remember  that 
gateposts  are  usually  a  little  taller  than  the 
rest  of  the  fence.  In  cutting  the  pickets  the 
top  may  be.  flat,  pointed,  or  rounding.  Be  care- 
ful when  you  cut  out  the  spaces  between  the  pick- 
ets that  you  press  the  point  of  your  scissors 
through  carefully.  If  you  are  not  careful  to  do 
this,  your  paper  may  tear.  Be  careful  also  to 
make  the  pickets  of  the  same  size  and  to  see  that 
the  strip  that  joins  them  has  the  same  width 
from  beginning  to  end. 

If  you  wish  the  gate  to  open  and  shut,  you 
must  cut  down  the  length  of  it  at  one  side  and 
across  the  bottom  to  the  other  gatepost.  What 
other  kinds  of  fences  have  you  seen?  Do  you 


WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES     27 

remember  how  they  look?  Can  you  make  a 
cutting  of  one  of  them?  If  you  cannot  remem- 
ber how  they  look,  perhaps  you  will  be  able  to 
find  a  picture  of  one  that  you  will  enjoy  cutting. 
Be  careful  to  have  it  strong  and  well  built. 

When  you  cut  out  the  fences  to  put  around 
your  yards,  you  must  think  how  high  you  wish 
them  to  be.  They  must  be  high  to  keep  the 
baby  in  the  yard,  and  they  must  not  be  too  high, 
because  that  will  spoil  the  looks  of  the  place. 


Swing  on  your  gate  and  wave  your  wee  flower ! 
Wave  it  on  high,  above  your  bright  eyes ! 
Call  to  the  birdies  on  branches  swinging 
Near  to  the  nest  where  mother-bird  flies. 

Swing,  little  girl!     Hold  your  wee  flower! 
Dear  little  girl  whose  two  dancing  eyes 
Will  sparkle  and  flash  and  each  time  she  swings 
She'll  hold  for  us  sunbeams  as  sure's  they  rise. 


Lamps. 


WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES      29 

Think  about  this,  for  everything  that  we  put 
in  our  little  town  must  help  to  make  it  beau- 
tiful. Perhaps  you  may  choose  to  have  no  fence 
at  all. 

Now  we  are  ready  to  call  in  the  man  who  helps 
us  light  our  streets.  Before  we  do  this  we  must 
have  some  street  lamps.  Look  at  the  lamps 
in  your  neighborhood,  choose  the  ones  that  you 
like  best,  cut  them  and  plan  for  their  placing. 

You  are  now  ready  for  street  cars  and  auto- 
mobiles. Look  for  pictures  of  them,  watch  them 
as  they  stand  on  the  street.  Look  to  see  how 
they  are  made  if  you  want  to  put  them  in  your 
village.  Look  to  see  how  the  wheels  are  fastened 
to  a  street  car  and  to  an  automobile.  Are  they 
put  on  in  the  same  way? 


'I 


I 


A  Cozy  Spot. 


WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES      31 

I  believe  you  can  really  cut  a  picture  of  out- 
of-doors  now.  Some  people  take  pictures,  some 
draw  them,  some  paint  them  and  I  believe  that 
you  can  cut  them.  Let  your  first  one  be  very 
simple.  Have  only  a  house  and  a  tree  in  it. 
Think  how  near  to  your  house  you  wish  to  plant 
your  tree.  What  kind  of  a  tree  is  it  to  be,  and 
how  tall  do  you  want  it? 

I  have  tried  to  cut  an  out-of-doors  picture 
and  to  have  it  in  a  frame.  This  is  harder  to  do 
because  one  is  apt  to  cut  into  the  frame.  I  do 
not  wish  to  have  my  trees  all  alike  nor  to  have 
them  all  the  same  distance  apart.  If  you  do  try 
to  cut  a  picture  in  a  frame,  show  it  to  father  and 
perhaps  he  will  help  you  to  surprise  mother  by 
having  a  white  passepartout  frame  put  on  it. 
It  will  be  nice  to  give  to  her  at  some  particular 
time  when  you  wish  to  make  her  very  happy. 
It  is  such  fun  to  surprise  both  mother  and  father. 


WHEN   MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES      33 


There  was  a  little  girl; 

She  made  her  scissors  whirl 

Right  in  the  middle  of  the  morning. 

She  cut  the  dishes  out ; 

They're  good  without  a  doubt, 

So  she  really  didn't  need  a  warning. 


34      WHEN  MOTHEK  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES 

A  PAPER  BABY, 

Who  ever  heard  of  a  village  without  any  peo- 
ple in  it  ?  Of  course  we  must  have  people  there. 
Let  us  begin  by  cutting  out  some  babies.  Our 
first  one  will  be  very  easy.  Take  an  oblong 
piece  of  paper  about  three  times  as  long  as  it  is 
wide.  Cut  the  head  and  the  outstretched  arms 
from  the  top  of  it.  Tinder  the  arms  of  the  nice 
long  baby  dress,  begin  with  a  slanting  cut  that 
will  end  at  the  two  bottom  corners  of  the  oblong. 
When  you  try  this  again,  make  the  baby's  head  a 
little  longer,  let  the  sleeves  have  some  wrinkles 
and  round  the  skirt  off  at  the  bottom. 

Perhaps  you  can  draw  a  face  on  this  baby. 
Look  at  the  babies  that  you  see.  I  think  you 
will  find  that  their  eyes  are  halfway  down  from 
the  top  of  the  head.  Dots  will  do  for  eyes  at 
first  if  you  make  them  large  enough.  A  baby's 
nose  comes  halfway  down  below  the  eyes  and  two 
little  dots  for  the  holes  will  show  that  little  nose. 
One  larger  dot  quite  near  to  the  nose  will  be  a 
little  mouth.  Sometimes  we  make  this  a  little 
longer  than  a  dot.  Be  careful  not  to  make  it  too 
long  because  we  wish  our  baby  to  have  a  sweet 
mouth.  Babies  are  cross  sometimes,  but  we  love 
to  remember  them  best  when  they  are  happy. 

Bend  this  paper  baby  so  he  will  sit  down  on 
the  edge  of  a  chair.  I  think  you  will  have  to 


"WHEN  MOTHEK  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES     35 

bend  him  twice.  Perhaps  you  will  like  to  have 
him  stretch  out  his  arms  so  his  little  mother  will 
take  him.  All  babies  love  to  hold  out  their  arms 
to  those  they  love.  If  you  have  a  happy  time 
cutting  this  baby's  picture  out,  perhaps  you  will 
want  to  cut  a  good  many  and  play  you  are  having 
a  baby  party. 


At  first  our  baby  wears  long  dresses.  As  he 
grows  we  shall  put  him  in  short  clothes.  Can 
you  cut  the  baby  out  when  he  is  wearing  short 
dresses  ?  Perhaps  the  toes  of  his  little  shoes  will 
just  peep  out  below  his  dress.  As  he  grows  a 
little  older  we  shall  shorten  his  dresses  still  more. 
How  grown  up  he  will  feel ! 


36      WHEN.  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES 

Can  you  think  of  some  things  that  a  baby  does 
sometimes*?  I  have  cut  out  some  babies  doing 
different  kinds  of  things.  They  are  on  the  oppo- 
site page.  Can  you  guess  what  they  are  doing  ? 
By  using  your  scissors  see  if  you,  too,  can  show 
something  that  a  baby  does.  Cut  out  a  dear  lit- 
tle baby  (use  white  paper  for  this),  paste  it  on 
a  piece  of  colored  paper  if  you  can  find  some, 
write  under  it  "Baby  loves  you,"  and  send  it  to 
someone  you  love  who  may  be  lonesome,  tired  or 
sick. 


Baby  Plays. 


38      WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES 

There  once  lived  a  great  artist,  named  Millet. 
He  loved  children  very  much  and  drew  many 
pictures  of  them.  One  of  his  pictures  was  called 
<  '  The  First  Step. ' '  I  have  tried  to  cut  it  out  for 
you. 


The  mother  with  arms  so  strong  and  tender, 
Holds  the  small  baby  whose  two  dancing  feet 
Would  gladly  go  to  her  father's  big  arms, 
Stretched  out  so  straight  his  own  darling  to  greet. 


I've  adopted  little  Teddy, 
But  baby  is  my  own ; 
I  love  them  both  already, 
So  neither  feels  alone! 


Shoes. 


WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES      41 

A  DEPARTMENT  STOKE. 

Now  for  your  shoes !  Do  you  know  how  they 
look*?  Try  to  make  a  cutting  of  one  of  them. 
After  you  have  done  this,  place  your  shoe  in 
front  of  you  and  look  at  it.  Look  at  the  straight 
heel,  how  it  curves  in  at  the  ankle  and  curves  out 
on  the  higher  part  of  the  shoe.  Look  at  the  slant 
on  the  top  part  of  the  foot.  See  what  a  long 
toe  there  is  on  every  shoe.  If  you  wish  to  make 
a  very  nice  looking  shoe,  you  will  be  careful  to 
cut  the  toe  long.  Look  at  the  cutting  you  have 
made  to  see  if  you  have  made  it  long  enough. 


"There  was  an  old  woman  who  lived  in  a  shoe; 
She  had  so  many  children  she  didn't  know  what  to  do. 
To  some  she  gave  broth,  to  some  she  gave  bread ; 
She  kissed  them  all  round  and  sent  them  to  bed." 


Beady  to  "Wear. 


"WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES      43 

Try  to  cut  different  kinds  of  shoes,  low  shoes, 
high  shoes,  and  slippers.  It  will  be  fun  to  have 
a  shoe  store.  If  you  wish  to  play  store,  take 
colored  crayons  and  color  some  of  the  shoes  that 
you  have  cut  out.  <You  may  have  every-day 
shoes,  Sunday  shoes,  and  party  slippers  to  sell. 
One  little  child  who  cut  some  shoes  out  sold  each 
pair  for  a  pin. 

I  think  you  are  able  to  cut  a  story  now.  In 
mine,  I  am  cutting,  I  am  playing  that  the  old 
woman  has  gone  to  market.  How  glad  the  chil- 
dren will  be  when  she  comes  back. 

Let  us  be  dressmakers  and  tailors  to-day. 
First,  try  to  cut  out  a  little  girl's  petticoat  and 
some  boy's  trousers.  The  little  girl's  skirt  is 
not  straight  across  the  bottom.  The  fullness  of 
the  skirt  makes  it  seem  a  little  longer  in  some 
places  than  in  others.  In  cutting  a  little  boy's 
trousers,  you  will  notice  that  if  he  has  worn  them, 
there  will  be  wrinkles  around  the  knees  and  that 
the  pockets  will  bulge. 

When  you  try  to  cut  a  little  girl's  dress  or  a 
boy's  suit,  put  one  on  the  bed  or  let  it  hang 
from  a  hanger.  Are  skirts  and  waists  of  the 
same  length  ?  Sometimes  they  are,  but  often  the 
waist  is  shorter.  This  is  true  of  these  cunning 
short-waisted  dresses  that  little  girls  often  wear. 

Notice  how  far  up  on  the  waist  line  it  will  be 
necessary  to  cut  before  you  will  begin  to  show 


44      WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES 

where  the  sleeve  joins  the  waist.  Watch  the 
shoulder  line  when  you  cut  across  the  top  of  the 
neck  and  be  careful  not  to  make  it  too  wide.  If 
it  is  wide  it  will  do  for  a  little  fat  girl.  Be  care- 
ful to  have  the  opposite  sleeves  and  the  oppo- 
site sides  of  the  waist  of  the  same  length.  If 
you  are  not  careful  to  do  this,  the  dress  will  not 
fit  a  nice  straight  child.  Try  several  little 
dresses,  jackets,  long  coats,  trousers,  Eussian 
blouse  suits,  and  hats.  If  your  shop  is  a  real 
dressmaker's  shop  why  not  print  a  sign? 
"Very  little  children's  ready-made  paper  suits 
a  specialty." 


A  Little  Tennis  Player. 


46      WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES 


BOYS  AND  GIRLS. 

Before  we  begin  to  do  much  story  telling  with 
our  scissors,  let  us  look  carefully  at  boys  and 
girls  to  see  how  they  are  made.  First  of  all,  a 
head,  round  at  the  top  and  pointed  at  the  chin. 
Next  comes  a  little  short  neck  that  joins  the 
head  to  the  body.  It  is  that  little  neck  at  the 
back  of  a  baby's  head  that  mother  loves  to  kiss. 
The  slanting  shoulders,  the  arms  and  the  trunk 
of  our  body  are  the  things  we  must  next  look  at. 

It  does  seem  strange  to  hear  any  part  of  our 
body  called  the  trunk.  Perhaps  it  is  because  so 
many  of  the  precious  things  that  help  to  keep 
us  alive  are  inside  of  this  part  of  our  body,  that 
we  have  such  a  fine,  strong  name  for  it.  This 
trunk  curves  in  at  the  waist  line  a  little  and  if 
we  press  our  elbows  in  here,  we  shall  find  that 
the  upper  part  of  our  arm  ends  at  about  this 
waist  line,  while  the  fingers  come  about  halfway 
down  to  the  knee. 

Now  you  will  be  surprised.  Look  at  a  roily- 
poly  baby  and  you  will  find  that  his  head  is  so 
big,  and  long,  and  round  that  often  it  is  almost 
as  long  as  his  trunk.  As  he  grows,  his  trunk 
grows  longer  and  still  a  little  longer,  until,  when 
he  is  seven  or  eight  years  old,  it  is  often  twice 
as  long  as  his  head. 


WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES      47 

If  you  will  look  at  the  length  of  a  little  boy's 
trousers  or  a  little  girl's  skirt,  and  compare  them 
with  the  length  of  the  waist,  you  will  find  that 
they  are  about  equal.  That  part  of  the  leg  above 
the  knee,  we  call  the  thigh.  If  you  look  at  the 
length  of  the  leg  below  the  knee  to  the  floor,  and 
compare  it  with  the  thigh,  you  will  find  they  also 
are  about  equal. 

The  main  things  to  remember  in  our  cutting 
are,  that  the  trunk,  the  thigh  and  the  leg  are 
equal  in  length,  and  that  the  head  is  half  as  long 
as  any  of  them.  This  is  the  reason  why  it  looks 
funny  if  a  back  is  cut  very  long  and  a  thigh  or  a 
leg  very  short. 


My  Friend. 


WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES      49 

Another  surprise  that  we  have  is  that  the  foot 
is  about  half  as  long  as  the  leg.  Do  you  remem- 
ber that  I  warned  you  about  making  it  too  short? 
If  you  remember  you  will  have  very  little  trouble 
when  you  try  to  cut  out  children. 

Let  me  tell  you  how  a  little  friend  of  mine 
looked  one  day.  Her  mother  had  just  finished 
making  her  a  new  dress  and  she  was  wearing  it 
for  the  first  time.  As  I  went  into  the  room,  she 
was  standing  straight  and  proud,  and  was  look- 
ing in  the  glass  at  her  dress.  At  first  I  caught 
just  a  side  view  of  her.  I  saw  only  one  foot  and 
one  leg,  the  skirt  stiff  and  new,  a  sash  with  a  big 
bow  coming  out  at  the  back  of  her  waist,  her  back 
straight,  her  hair  bobbed  and  tied  with  a  big  bow 
on  the  top  of  her  head. 

Shall  I  tell  you  how  to  cut  out  a  picture  of 
her?  First,  I  shall  think  of  her  standing  on 
the  floor  and  cut  a  strip  for  the  ground.  Be- 
fore I  begin  to  cut  the  back  of  her  shoe,  I  shall 
think  of  the  line  of  it,  straight  at  the  back  of 
the  heel  and  curved  in  at  the  ankle.  After  I 
have  thought  about  it,  I  shall  cut  it.  In  the 
same  way,  before  I  do  any  cutting  I  shall  think 
of  the  curve  at  the  back  of  a  little  child's  leg, 
because  it  is  not  straight  like  a  lead  pencil.  Then 
I  shall  think  of  the  bottom  of  her  skirt.  It  is 
full  and  made  of  soft  material  and  is  not  straight 
like  a  piece  of  paper. 


Up  in  the  air  so  high  we  go, 

[Well  touch  the  leaves  first  thing  you  know. 

No,  little  birdie  in  your  nest, 

We'll  ne'er  disturb  your  quiet  rest. 

Cut  our  pictures  with  skirts  afly, 

And  friends  to  push  as  we  go  by;. 


WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES       51 

The  next  thing  to  think  of,  is  that  this  skirt  is 
gathered  in  at  the  waist.  To  show  this  my  cut 
must  be  a  slanting  one.  Then  I  must  think  of 
the  big  bow  of  the  sash  and  cut  it.  The  back  so 
straight  and  proud,  the  bobbed  hair  that  stands 
away  from  the  neck,  and  the  bow  so  high  on  the 
top  of  the  head,  must  all  be  thought  out  before 
they  are  cut. 

In  the  same  way,  I  shall  think  out  all  the 
changes  before  I  cut  down  the  front  side  of  my 
little  girl,  remembering  to  leave  a  floor  strip  for 
my  child  to  stand  on.  Perhaps  it  will  be  easier 
for  you  to  make  a  cutting  of  this  same  child  be- 
fore you  try  to  think  of  one  yourself.  After  you 
do  this,  think  out  a  picture  of  your  own  and 
cut  it. 


Up  in  the  World. 


WHEIST  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES      53 

Almost  always  the  two  legs,  the  two  feet,  and 
the  two  arms  of  a  child  are  seen.  Sometimes 
only  a  part  of  them  are  seen.  You  must  be 
watchful  and  when  you  cut  the  picture  be  caref id 
to  show  only  what  you  see.  When  a  child  is 
standing,  if  his  legs  and  feet  are  spread  apart, 
the  paper  between  them  must  be  cut  away.  In 
doing  this,  put  the  scissors  through  the  middle  of 
the  piece  that  you  are  going  to  cut  away  and 
carefully  think  out  each  cut  before  you  make  it. 
If  you  press  the  point  of  the  scissors  in  just 
where  you  are  going  to  cut,  it  may  be  very  hard 
to  keep  the  paper  from  tearing  there.  Some- 
times it  is  necessary  to  cut  here  because  the  space 
is  so  small.  Then  you  must  be  careful  not  to 
tear  the  paper. 

Before  we  go  on  with  our  story-telling,  let  us 
think  of  things  that  a  very  little  boy  or  girl  can 
do.  He  can  creep,  stand,  sit,  swim,  walk,  bend, 
stoop,  run,  jump,  kneel,  on  both  knees  or  only  on 
one,  and,  strange  to  say,  he  can  even  stand  on  his 
head. 


Our  Indian  Cousin. 


[WHEN  MOTHEK  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES      55 

Compare  a  child  with  a  little  bird.  A  little 
bird  can  hop,  stand,  sit,  and  fly.  A  kitten  can 
walk,  run,  jump,  sit,  lie  down,  stoop  over  to  eat 
her  food  and  climb  a  tree.  A  dog  can  do  what  a 
kitten  can  do,  but  he  cannot  climb  a  tree.  How 
sorry  he  is  sometimes!  Pussy  isn't  sorry  I  A 
dog  can  swim  and  he  is  glad. 

Think  how  many  things  a  little  child  can  do 
that  these  pets  of  his  cannot  do.  Of  all  living 
things  he  should  be  the  happiest,  because  he  is 
able  to  do  so  much,  and  is  loved  and  cared  for 
best  of  all.  He  has  someone  to  love  him,  to  work 
for  him,  to  think  of  and  for  him,  and  to  take  care 
of  him.  Let  us  cut  out  a  picture  of  some  of 
his  happy  times.  Watch  his  body  as  he  makes  it 
do  different  things.  Watch  him  as  he  marches. 
He  keeps  his  back  straight,  stretches  out  each 
leg,  first  one  and  then  the  other,  and  steps  first 
on  one  foot  and  then  on  the  other.  Stand  up 
yourself.  March!  How  can  you  cut  the  pic- 
ture of  a  marching  child?  Will  the  picture  say 
" march''  if  you  cut  both  legs  straight  down  with 
the  feet  standing  on  the  ground?  I  hear  you 
say,  "No."  Watch  the  children  on  the  street. 
Look  at  the  pictures  of  walking  children.  See 
what  the  artist  has  thought  of  when  he  has 
drawn  walking  children. 

One  leg  does  go  down  straight  sometimes,  while 
the  other  one  slants  out.  If  the  child  is  walking 


WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES      57 


With  my  shovel  and  pail  I  go 
To  make  me  a  house  in  the  sand. 
Ill  cover  up  my  foot,  you  know, 
And  there'll  be  the  cave  that  I  planned. 


58      WHEN"  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES 

fast,  both  legs  sometimes  slant  and  must  be  cut 
so.  What  does  a  child  do  with  his  arms  as  he 
walks  ?  He  can  do  anything  with  them  that  he 
chooses.  He  can  keep  them  perfectly  still  or 
he  can  swing  them. 

Cut  a  picture  of  a  little  boy  walking.  Let  him 
have  some  fun  while  he  is  doing  it.  If  the 
little  one  keeps  his  arms  still  and  straight,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  cut  them  straight  down.  If  they 
bend  at  the  elbow,  cut  down  to  the  elbow  and 
across  to  the  coat;  perhaps  one  arm  will  swing 
and  the  other  one  be  straight.  The  swinging 
arm  will  usually  be  shown  with  a  slanting  cut. 

One  reason  that  we  are  able  to  do  so  many 
things  is  because  our  body  is  made  in  a  wonder- 
ful way.  Move  your  hand  back  and  forth,  and 
up  and  down.  How  easily  it  moves!  Try  the 
arm  in  the  same  way.  Try  the  shoulder,  too. 
It  is  better  than  a  hinge  because  it  moves  in  more 
ways  than  back  and  forth.  The  same  is  true  of 
the  joints  at  the  ankle,  the  knee  and  the  hip. 
What  a  strange  body  it  would  be  if  it  was  all 
made  of  one  stiff  bone,  like  a  door !  We  couldn't 
do  many  things  then,  could  we  ?  Someone  would 
have  to  move  us. 

Watch  a  little  boy  as  he  makes  up  his  mind  to 
run.  How  these  joints  help  him!  What  does 
he  do  with  his  back?  Does  he  keep  it  straight? 
No,  it  slants  in  the  direction  toward  which  he  is 


An  Aide-de-camp. 


60      !WHEff  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES 

running.  The  forward  thigh  stretches  out  in  the 
same  direction,  but  at  the  knee  the  leg  bends 
back,  the  ankle  helps,  the  foot  slants  down  and 
touches  the  ground.  The  other  thigh  slants 
backward  and  this  back  leg,  if  the  child  is  run- 
ning fast,  stretches  straight  out  from  the  knee 
and  does  not  touch  the  ground.  Sometimes  if  he 
is  running  very  fast,  it  slants  up,  and  the  toe  of 
the  shoe  points  to  the  ground. 

One  day,  a  little  boy  in  cutting  a  picture  of 
a  running  child,  cut  the  toe  of  the  back  shoe 
as  if  it  were  pointing  to  the  sky  instead  of  the 
ground.  You  have  no  idea  how  strange  it 
looked.  A  little  girl  made  the  joints  go  the 
wrong  way,  and  the  poor  little  knees  of  the  paper 
child  clung  together,  and  the  legs  spread  far 
apart.  If  you  ever  make  a  cutting  that  looks 
funny  (and  we  all  do  sometimes),  think  it  out 
to  see  if  the  joint  could  act  the  way  you  have 
made  it  act.  Take  the  position  that  you  have 
shown  in  your  cutting.  See  whether  your  body 
can  do  what  you  made  the  body  in  the  cutting  do. 

If  you  wish  to  cut  stories  of  children,  you  must 
watch  them  doing  things.  Think  what  a  child 
can  do  when  sitting.  I  hear  you  say  that  she  can 
play  with  her  doll,  swing,  hold  her  pets,  rock  the 
baby,  read,  and  fish.  What  a  good  time  she  has 
in  doing  all  of  this. 

Watch  children.    You  will  find  that  they  sit 


WHEN"  MOTHEB  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTUBES     61 

very  often  when  they  work  or  play.    How  many 
sitting  children  do  you  suppose  you  can  cut? 

Watch  bending  children.  They  pick  flowers, 
play  marbles,  stroke  their  pets,  help  mother 
sweep,  pull  the  weeds  away  from  the  flowers, 
and  are  quick  to  pick  scraps  from  the  floor.  I 
believe  that  bending  children  may  be  called 
mother's  helping  children. 


Be  gentle,  oh  horsie  so  proud ! 
Baby  so  wee  rides  behind  you ! 
She  cooes  so  happily  aloud. 
Mother  so  lovingly  takes  her, 
A  dear  little  sister  named  Cloud. 


A  Willing  Messenger. 


In  the  Play  Housg. 


64      WHEN"  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES 

I  shall  leave  the  dear  children  with  you  now. 
Watch  them  at  work  and  at  play.  Cut  them  out 
carefully  and  make  them  as  beautiful  as  you  can. 
They  are  your  chums  and  friends.  Of  course, 
we  shall  meet  them  with  their  animal  friends, 
their  playmates  and  protectors. 


Flower  Lovers. 


66      WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES 

ANIMAL  ARTISTS. 

Before  we  begin  to  cut  pictures  of  animals,  let 
me  tell  you  something  about  animal  artists. 
They  are  always  animal  lovers.  They  take  the 
best  care  of  their  animals.  They  feed  them  and 
watch  over  them  to  see  that  nothing  hurts  them. 
The  animals  love  them.  Do  they  love  you? 
How  can  you  tell  when  a  kitty  loves  you?  She 
will  rub  up  against  you  as  you  sit  in  your  chair. 
If  you  listen  when  you  take  her  in  your  arms, 
you  will  hear  a  little  purring  song  which  means, 
"I  am  happy.  I  love  to  be  with  you." 

When  a  dog  likes  you  he  wags  his  tail,  and  if 


lit* 


My  Chum  and  I. 


68      WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES 

you  look  into  his  eyes,  you  will  find  them  to  be 
kind  and  friendly.  Little  chickens  will  run 
after  you.  When  you  feed  her  little  ones  the  old 
mother  hen  will  say,  " Cluck,  cluck."  That 
cluck  means,  "Come  babies,  the  children  are  car- 
ing for  you."  I  am  sure  it  also  means,  " Thank 
you." 

Not  many  of  you  have  a  horse  but  if  you  ever 
do  own  one,  I  am  sure  you  will  be  kind  to  him. 
When  you  cut  his  picture,  you  will  leave  his  tail 
long  and  beautiful,  because  it  is  that  tail  that 
helps  to  shoo  away  the  flies  that  bite  him. 

When  you  cut  out  your  animal  pictures,  re- 
member that,  like  all  other  animal  artists,  you  are 
animal  lovers.  Because  you  do  love  them,  you 
will  make  them  as  beautiful  as  you  can. 

First,  watch  the  little  kitten  as  she  sits  up  in 
front  of  you.  You  will  have  to  be  quick,  because 
she  is  so  playful  and  is  still  only  a  minute. 

Often,  as  the  kitten  sits  there,  one  ear  comes 
up  higher  than  the  other.  This  is  because  she 
holds  her  head  on  one  side.  Perhaps  she  thinks 
you  are  coming,  and  is  listening.  Between  the 
ears  is  a  little  short  curve,  while  down  the  front 
side  of  her  is  a  long  graceful  one.  On  my  kitten, 
that  curve  went  in  quite  a  bit,  and  the  little  foot 
that  for  a  wonder  was  still,  poked  its  way  out 
just  a  little.  Her  back  slanted  down  and  made 
me  think  of  a  nice  furry  brush. 


WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  OUT  OUT  PICTURES      69 


Dear  little  pussy, 

Sitting  up  so,  BO! 

With  my  scissors 

I'll  make  you  grow,  grow—-' 

Dear  little  pussy, 

Sitting  up  so,  so! 


Hide  and  Seek. 


WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  OFT  OUT  PICTURES      71 

When  you  cut  the  kitten  out,  perhaps  you  will 
enjoy  playing  that  she  is  asleep  in  a  box.  For 
this,  cut  out  a  big  piece  of  paper,  a  little  longer 
than  it  is  wide.  We  see  her  first  when  she  wakes 
up  and  lifts  her  head  out  to  look  around.  Re- 
member to  begin  the  cutting  nearer  one  edge  of 
the  box.  You  will  then  have  room  for  the  back 
and  the  tail.  If  kitty  likes  what  she  sees,  she 
will  come  out  of  the  box  and  you  will  finish  her 
picture. 

Look  at  your  kitten.  Have  you  made  her 
head  too  small?  When  I  watched  my  kitten  as 
she  sat  in  this  position,  I  found  that  her  body 
was  about  twice  as  long  as  her  head.  How  many 
kittens  are  there  in  this  family?  Does  the  old 
mother  trust  you  to  play  with  them?  Watch 
them  to  see  how  they  play,  how  they  sleep,  and 
how  they  eat.  Give  them  some  milk  and  while 
they  are  drinking  they  will  be  still.  Run  for 
your  scissors.  See  whether  you  can  cut  a  pic- 
ture of  one  drinking  milk.  If  the  kitten  that 
you  are  cutting  changes  her  position  to  drink 
from  another  place  on  the  saucer,  change  your 
position  to  get  the  same  view  you  had  at  first, 
and  you  will  be  able  to  finish  your  cutting.  See 
how  many  kinds  of  things  you  will  be  able  to 
make  the  picture  kitten  do. 

Watch  other  pets  in  the  same  way.  Look  at 
a  dog.  Is  he  like  a  kitten?  He  has  four  legs, 


72 


MOTHER  LETS  US  OUT  OUT  PICTURES 


but  they  are  not  shaped  like  a  kitten's  legs. 
Their  heads  also  differ  in  shape.  The  lines  in 
dogs'  heads  are  much  longer  than  in  kittens' 
heads.  The  line  under  a  cat's  stomach  is  quite 
straight  and  her  legs  are  not  very  long.  The  line 
under  the  stomach  of  a  dog  is  quite  slanting  and 
his  legs  are  apt  to  be  long. 

In  your  first  cutting  of  a  paper  dog  try  for 
the  main  lines.  Imagine  that  he  is  standing  so 
that  you  see  the  side  only  and  that  the  two  legs 
on  the  far  side  are  hidden  by  the  two  nearest 
to  you.  What  a  strong  watchful  animal  a  dog 
is  and  how  faithful  he  is  to  his  friends!  Out 


WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  ITS  CUT  OUT  PICTURES     73 

pictures  of  him  doing  different  things.  Can  he 
beg  I  Can  he  sleep?  Cut  one  for  big  brother 
or  for  some  other  person  who  loves  dogs.  I  am 
sure  he  will  like  it. 

Another  thing  to  enjoy  thinking  about  and 
cutting,  is  the  squirrel  that  you  often  see  in  the 
parks.  Does  he  ever  come  to  take  the  peanuts 
from  your  hand,  then  run  up  the  trunk  of  a  tree, 
sit  on  the  branch,  crack  his  nut  and  nibble  at  it? 

Do  not  forget  the  birds  who  sometimes  rock 
their  babies  in  the  tree  tops.  Will  you  cut  a 
picture  of  Tree-top  Village  where  the  birds  sing 


WHEN"  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTUKES     75 

to  the  flowers  and  to  the  children,  as  well  as  to 
each  other?  Perhaps  your  picture  will  be  of  an 
empty  bird's  nest  that  is  to  rent.  Here  is  a  pic- 
ture of  a  bird's  school  where  the  class  is  on  the 
line.  Which  is  the  teacher  ?  These  birdies  are 
having  a  music  lesson  and  the  wind  is  playing  on 
the  wires.  They  are  bright  and  happy.  They 
have  just  had  a  shower  bath  that  they  took  in  the 
pool  by  the  roadside. 

A  robin  is  a  nice  bird.  Try  to  cut  a  picture 
of  him.  Have  you  seen  him  run  along  on  the 
grass  and  stop  a  minute  to  see  whether  you  are 
looking  at  him?  Watch  the  little  sparrow,  too. 
Does  he  look  like  the  robin.  Cut  a  picture  of 
each.  Take  them  to  mother  to  see  whether  she 
thinks  they  are  natural. 


WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  OUT  OUT  PICTURES     77 


MOVING-PICTTTBE  SHOWS. 

Before  cutting  out  pictures  to  show  happy 
holidays,  how  many  animal  friends  will  you  be 
able  to  cut  ?  Have  a  moving-picture  show.  Cut 
first  one  animal,  then  another. 

At  one  time,  when  I  was  visiting  a  farm,  I 
saw,  not  a  circus  procession,  but  a  procession 
that  was  slow  and  stately.  All  at  once  there  was 
the  sound  of  scraping  a  dish.  How  my  proces- 
sion did  turn  to  run!  Can  you  guess  what  it 
went  for?  By  and  by  I  followed  and  found  a 
mother  hen  taking  care  of  her  babies.  As  they 
were  still  and  sleepy,  the  picture  did  not  move 
any  more.  I  went  back  on  tiptoe  because  I  did 
not  want  to  scare  the  baby  chicks.  Just  as  I  was 
turning  to  go  away  the  proud  father  walked  up. 
He,  too,  was  careful  not  to  disturb  his  little  fam- 
ily, because  he  knew  that  the  mother  hen  often 
has  a  hard  time  when  she  tries  to  put  her  baby 
chicks  to  sleep.  Can  you  find  my  moving-pic- 
ture show? 

Get  up  a  moving-picture  show  of  your  own! 
Suppose  a  little  boy  is  playing  with  his  dog. 
Can  you  cut  out  each  act  in  his  play?  Try  it! 
Invite  your  friends  to  see  the  show.  You  may 
charge  grown-ups  an  admission  fee  of  two  pins, 


78      WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES 

but   of   course   children   will   pay   only   half 
price. 


Little  chicks,  little  chicks,  fie,  oh,  fie! 

Who'd  fuss  for  worms?    Said  the  dog,  "Not  I/1 

Little  chicks,  little  chicks,  do  be  fair; 

Who'll  be  judge?    Said  our  boy,  "I'm  there." 


Best  of  Friends. 


[WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES     81 


BIRTHDAY  WISHES 

If  a  brownie  sees  a  fairy 

Hop  upon  a  chair, 

Then  a  brownie  asks  a  fairy 

To  be  brave  and  dare 

To  make  a  wish  on  every  candle 

For  things  that  children  care. 

So  a  brownie  and  a  fairy 

Speak  their  wishes  there. 


> 


WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTUBES      83 

CHHDRENS'  HAPPY  DAYS. 

Truly  this  world  seems  to  be  a  place  for  chil- 
dren. Not  only  are  all  loving  children  happy 
day  by  day,  but  there  are  many  special  days 
made  on  purpose  for  the  little  ones.  First  of 
all,  comes  the  birthday.  You  do  not  remember 
when  the  stork  brought  you.  You  were  too  tiny 
to  look  around,  to  think  of  yourself,  or  even  to 
play  with  your  little  pink  toes.  Mother  and  fa- 
ther remember,  and  are  happy  every  time  they 
think  of  it.  Because  they  are  happy,  they  cele- 
brate (big  word,  isn't  it)  this  day  with  you. 

What  do  you  do  on  your  birthday?  Next 
time  it  comes,  put  something  beside  mother's  and 
father's  plates.  Perhaps  it  will  be  a  flower,  a 
little  shell  or  just  a  loving  note  that  big  sister 
will  help  you  to  write. 

Cut  out  some  happy  birthday  times.  I  believe 
the  best  things  that  you  have  cut  will  be  some 
birthday  stories. 


84      WHEN   MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES 


How  this  young  Cupid  swings  in  glee! 
As  fairy  of  love,  he  thinks  of  me. 


WHEN  MOTHEB  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES      85 

What  day  shall  we  celebrate  next  in  our  cut- 
ting? Does  someone  say  " Valentine's  Day"? 

Did  you  ever  hear  the  story  about  Mr.  Valen- 
tine? He  was  an  old  man  who  loved  children. 
He  used  especially  to  visit  those  children  who 
were  sick  or  poor.  There  came  a  time  when  he 
did  not  go,  the  children  missed  him  and  won- 
dered. They  went  to  see  him  and  found  him 
sick  in  bed.  Dear  Mr.  Valentine  remembered 
that  he  could  write  if  he  was  not  well  enough  to 
go  out,  so  he  used  to  send  greetings  to  his  little 
friends. 


Let  me  be  your  valentine. ; 


86      WHEN  MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES 

After  he  died,  these  children  celebrated  his 
birthday  by  sending  loving  messages  to  one  an- 
other. We  still  keep  the  custom. 

It  will  be  well  to  plan  the  valentine  that  you 
wiD.  cut  several  days  before  you  send  it.  You 
may  spoil  it  and  need  to  try  again,  and  this  takes 
time.  I  wonder  to  whom  you  are  going  to  send 
it.  You  will  never  tell,  will  you?  That  is  your 
secret. 

Next  comes  jolly  old  Hallowe'en!  Who  is 
to  have  a  Hallowe'en  party?  Try  to  find  some 
black  paper,  and  cut  out  the  pictures  to  paste  on 
the  invitation  that  you  will  send.  These  pic- 
tures will  surely  tell  your  friends  that  the 
witches,  brownies,  black  cats,  and  fairies  are  to 
be  there.  At  the  bottom  of  one  little  girl's  invi- 
tation was  printed: 

''The  goblins  won't  git  you 
Ef  you  do  watch  out!" 


Haltywe'en  Invitations. 


Has  Santa  Glaus  Forgotten? 


WHEN   MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES      89 

CHRISTMAS  DECORATION. 

The  nicest  day  of  all  has  been  saved  until 
the  last.  Christmas  Day !  Even  very  little  peo- 
ple will  find  something  to  do  for  this  day.  They 
can  cut  out  apples,  nuts,  and  balls.  In  olden 
times  when  these  were  hung  on  the  tree,  the  peo- 
ple made  believe  that  they  stood  for  the  sun, 
the  moon,  and  the  stars.  Other  children  may 
cut  out  candles  for  the  lights.  Here  again,  in 
olden  times  when  the  tree  was  lighted,  the  lights 
were  a  make-believe  for  the  flashes  of  lightning 
overhead.  If  the  older  children  help,  the  little 
ones  can  color  these  lights.  They  will  trim 
the  tree.  Cut  paper  dolls  for  trimming,  too. 
Clothe  them  in  pretty  party  dresses  and  cunning 
little  slippers  for  this  happy  night.  Here, 
again,  your  colored  pencils  will  help. 

Get  the  tree  all  ready  for  Santa  Claus.  Dear 
old  Santa  Claus  with  his  eight  tiny  reindeer. 
What  a  jolly  old  fellow  he  is,  and  how  tired  he 
must  be  after  his  many  trips  to — I  don't  know 
where — Cloudland,  perhaps.  I  think  I  do  not 
want  to  know  where  his  home  is,  do  you?  We 
have  happy  times  thinking  about  things  we  never 
see.  Most  real  things  are  not  seen.  Who  sees 
the  fairies  who  dance  on  the  lawn  or  sit  perched 
up  on  the  toadstools  I 


Little  gifts  are  precious 
If  a  loving  heart 
Helps  the  busy  fingers 
As  they  do  their  part." 


WHEN   MOTHER  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES      91 


CHRISTMAS  SECRETS. 

Christmas  is  a  happy  time  and  is  full  of  sur- 
prises. It  is  one  of  the  times  when  we  share  our 
candy  with  the  child  who  has  none,  when  little 
children  and  big  children  find  what  a  blessed 
thing  it  is  to  give  happiness.  Gentle  words  are 
spoken  and  love  shines  in  our  eyes. 

The  gifts  that  have  the  most  value  are  the 
ones  on  which  the  most  thought  is  spent.  Fa- 
ther and  mother  are  loved  best.  Cut  out  a  story 
telling  what  your  home  is  to  be  when  you  are 
grown.  In  this,  have  pictures  of  your  children 
with  their  pets,  with  their  horses  and  carriages 
or  autos.  Perhaps  the  yard  will  contain  a  little 
pond  where  the  children  may  wish  to  sail  their 
boats. 


Easter  Flowers. 


WHEN  MOTHER  LETS-  US,  CUT  OUT  PICTURES      93 

Experiment !  Try  first  one  arrangement,  then 
another.  Where  will  the  trees  look  best,  grow- 
ing in  rows,  or  in  bunches  where  tables  may  be 
set  for  a  picnic  dinner?  If  you  intend  to  have 
a  swing  in  the  yard  under  what  kind  of  tree  will 
you  place  it  ?  If  you  wish  the  house  to  be  shady, 
how  near  to  it  will  you  plant  your  tree  ? 

After  you  have  placed  all  of  these  things  as 
you  wish  them,  look  at  the  whole  picture.  Do 
you  like  it?  Are  some  of  the  spaces  too 
crowded?  Do  others  look  too  empty?  Arrange 
this  picture  so  it  will  make  you  happy  to  look 
at  it. 

At  first  mother  and  father  will  think  nothing 
of  it  if  they  see  you  cutting  pictures.  Now, 
when  you  cut,  find  a  spot  in  the  house  where  no 
one  will  hear  you  even  if  you  whisper  your  se- 
cret. Choose  white  paper,  look  at  the  picture  as 
you  have  it  arranged.  Try  to  cut  the  whole  pic- 
ture out  together. 

You  will  not  mind  trying  many  times.  Artists 
never  mind  trying  again.  When  the  picture  is 
finished,  mount  it,  on  paper  the  color  of  things 
in  mother  ?s  room.  Use  thin  library  paste.  Take 
it  to  a  picture  f  ramer  and  ask  him  to  put  a  white 
passepartout  frame  on  it.  This  will  cost  you 
about  thirty  cents.  If  you  haven't  saved  up  that 
much  money,  put  a  little  white  string  through 


94      WHEN  MOTHEK  LETS  US  CUT  OUT  PICTURES 

the  top,  tie  it  so  it  will  hang,  and  mother  and 
father  will  be  just  as  glad. 

When  it  is  ready,  and  has  been  wrapped  up, 
ask  someone  to  give  it  to  Santa  Glaus  to  put  with 
the  things  he  has  for  mother  and  father.  I  am 
sure  he  will  be  glad  to  do  so. 

As  dear  old  Santa  finishes  his  work  in  your 
home,  and  is  ready  to  go  on  to  another,  I  am 
sure,  as  he  looks  around  to  see  if  everything 
is  left  as  he  wants  it,  that  he  is  thinking,  "God 
bless  us  every  one." 


THE  END 


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16  IM7 


LD  21-95m 


YC  27231] 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


